Your author website is one of the best ways to entice and keep readers investing in your future books. Create a site that keeps them coming back and you'll have a ready audience for your work for years to come. Fill your site with things that annoy readers, though, and they'll back out fast and never come back. Here are seven of the most unpopular details you might have on your site. 
They Can't Find It
Optimize your SEO. If you have no idea what that means, do some studying or hire someone who does. SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is the way to fix your site so that Google can find it easily. Without good SEO, readers looking for books in your genre will never even find you.
They Can't Load the Page
Over half the web browsing today is done on a mobile device such as smart phones and tablets. If your author site isn't optimized for mobile viewing, readers will get frustrated and click out of your site. Most commercial sites and themes are fine on mobile, but check yours to make sure.
They Can't Buy Your New Book
If you've just published a book, why make potential readers search for it? The main reason you have a website is to sell books, not to impress everyone with your blogging skills. Put your book on the front page of your site, give it a big picture, and make it easy to buy.
They Can't Find Out About Work in Progress
The most invested readers are those who will automatically buy your next book when it comes out. These are the readers who have a personal stake in your work. They like to think they have a connection with you and that they have a little bit of an inside track with your work. Post progress reports and small snippets of text to keep them up to date.
They Can't Contact You
Readers want to ask questions, share thoughts, and sometimes just thank you for your book. Make it easy for them. Include an email address, a contact form, multiple social media addresses, and listings of any place else you frequent online.
They Can't Find Your Backlist
You've got your newest book on the front page, and they've bought it. Great. Now what about the rest of your catalog? Create a page filled with the best of your backlist, including links to all the sites where they can buy them. The idea is to make buying multiple copies of your work as easy and effortless as possible.
They Can't See Your Story World
Obviously this doesn't apply to non-fiction authors, but if you write science fiction, fantasy, and even romance novel series, a map of the area will fix each book in readers' minds. Draw a map of the entire area likely to be in all of the stories. If your artistic skills run to stick figures, find an artistic friend or trade services with someone else online.
Keep the Faith and May the Force be with You!
